Major political parties face revolt in Bihar

All major political parties in Bihar, be it the ruling JD-U-BJP, or opposition RJD-LJP combine, face gradual revolt within their respective rank and file over denial of party nominations to prospective candidates of their choice.

The ruling JD(U) which released its first list of 54 candidates for the 92 seats going to polls in the first and second phase in Bihar on October 21 and 24, is grappling with dissent over allotment of tickets to the kin of the rebel leaders, party members said.

After the party’s MP from Muzaffarpur Captain Jai Narain Nishad slammed the leadership for refusing his request for giving a ticket to his son to contest the Assembly polls, another MP Purnamasi Ram has announced that he will campaign for the Congress “as the tickets have been distributed without consultation with MPs“.

Similarly, another senior party leader Upendra Kushwaha, MP, has purportedly resigned as national general secretary of the party in protest against his being ignored for consultation on ticket distribution for some seats in Vaishali and Samastipur.

As the ruling party released its list yesterday, a group of party workers held demonstration at their office charging the leadership with “neglecting the genuine party workers” and allotting tickets to those who recently switched over to the party from the RJD and LJP.

While two sitting MLAs - Dilkeshwar Kamat and Manzar Alam have been denied tickets in yesterday’s list, the party has given tickets to five persons who have switched mostly from RJD and LJP.